In New Orleans, Edwards calls it quits

Sen. John Edwards ended his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination Wednesday in New Orleans - the same city where he began his campaign 14 months ago and where Edwards' signature issue of poverty is a stark part of everyday life.

Edwards said it was time for him to step aside "so that history can blaze its path" in a Democratic campaign now left to Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

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Edwards, who did not immediately endorse either of his rivals, said his crusade to lift up the nation's forgotten poor would continue. "In this campaign, we didn't turn our heads," he said. "This is the cause of my life."

Edwards said he had spoken to both Obama and Clinton and both said they would make a campaign to ending poverty "central" to their campaigns and to their presidency if elected.

Joined by his wife Elizabeth and their three children, Edwards, who was John Kerry's running mate on the Democratic ticket in 2004, reiterated his commitment to anti-poverty projects across the nation and New Orleans in particular. "This journey of ours began right here," Edwards said, "and we will continue to come back. We will never forget the heartache and we will always be here to help."

Later today, the family planned to work on Habitat for Humanity houses at Musicians Village.

The journey is a way for Edwards to throw the spotlight on his issues for one last time. The Edwards campaign issued a research document Wednesday called "What John and Elizabeth Edwards Accomplished," including "leading on policy" on economic justice, health care, poverty and Iraq.

"Since the day he entered in the race in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, John Edwards served as the clear progressive issues leader driving the campaign debate and fighting for those who have no voice in Washington," the release said.

The campaign, one Edwards essentially began as soon as the 2004 contest ended, was interrupted by the news that Elizabeth Edwards’ cancer had recurred. But she continued to join her husband sporadically on the trail despite worries about her health.

Edwards had fought for attention in a field dominated by the fractious contest between Obama and Clinton.

Edwards' prospects had looked bleak for some time in part because he was out of money, reducing the chances that he'd be able to capitalize on a stumble by a front-runner.

His withdrawal leaves a head-to-head battle between the two celebrity senators, and ends speculation about the exotic possibilities that a three-way split could produce.

Now, there is a much clearer road for whoever emerges as the front-runner after Super Tuesday to assemble the absolute majority of delegates needed to carry the Democratic National Convention.

Edwards was the favorite candidate of the left's blogosphere, meaning liberals are likely to engage in a spirited debate about where they should go now.

Obama issued a statement that concluded: "John and Elizabeth Edwards have always believed deeply that we can change this – that two Americans can become one, and that our country can rally around this common purpose. So while his campaign may end today, the cause of their lives endures for all of us who still believe that we can achieve that dream of one America."